


Iron Heart

by RuntotheForest



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Post-Season/Series 03, slight whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:20:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27261118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuntotheForest/pseuds/RuntotheForest
Summary: Fred wants his hero, Alec Hardy, to take him trick or treating.  Super fluffy.  You've been warned.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy & Fred Miller, Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 45
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by a suggestion from @orphan_account. It's just a short bit of fluff. Enjoy. :-)

Chapter 1

Alec Hardy’s eyes were blurring from staring at his computer screen. He had been working on mind-numbing paperwork for much of the morning and afternoon – his least favorite part of his job as Detective Inspector. He had been staring at the screen for so long that his mind was, he thought, _officially numb_. He thought maybe some tea would help him refocus, but just as he was about to get up, he heard a knock on his office door.

“Thought you might need this,” said Ellie Miller, poking her head and a steaming mug around the partially ajar door.

“Brilliant, Miller. You don’t _know_ how much I need this right now.”

He removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes. Ellie came in and set the mug on his desk.

“You look tired. Did you eat lunch?”

“What? Oh. No.” he replied, absently.

“Christ, Hardy, at least have some toast or something. I can make you some if you’d like.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Since when do you make me toast?”

She smiled, and her eyes sparkled.

“I don’t,” she said mischievously, “but I have something of a favor to ask, so I would be willing to, just this once. Today. One time only.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms, fixing her with a level gaze.

“What’s this favor, then?”

She took a deep breath and maintained her cheery smile.

“As you may be aware, tomorrow is Halloween. Fred’s got it into his mind that he wants his Uncle Alec to take him trick or treating, because, and I quote, ‘he’s like Iron Man’.”

“Oh, God.” Alec looked at the ceiling and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, recalling the events of a week earlier that had apparently led to Fred’s hero worship.

\----------------------------------------

_The fun fair had come back to Broadchurch, behind the little blue shack that Hardy had briefly called home. Ellie had dragged him out with her boys, preventing Alec from “sitting around moping”, as Ellie seemed to think he did each night, now that Daisy was off at uni. Alec was secretly pleased to be invited, but would never tell Ellie (there were, in fact, a great many things that Alec thought he would never tell Ellie)._

_Tom had spent most of the time running off with his mates, but Ellie had insisted that he take his little brother on a few rides - so off they went, leaving Ellie and Alec sitting on a bench, taking a breather. Ellie munched on some candy floss, which Alec eyed with an open hostility especially reserved for blatantly unhealthy foods._

_“How can you eat that? It’s literally made of sugar, and nothing else.”_

_“It’s tasty. You should try some.”_

_“It’s sugar on a stick. You might as well have saved yourself some money and just packed a bag of sugar and a spoon.”_

_“But it’s all about the experience of eating it, Hardy. It’s fluffy.”_

_She had broken off a small piece, and was dangling it in front of his face when Tom came running up to them._

_“Where’s Fred?” asked Ellie, looking around to see if he was hiding behind his big brother._

_“Mum, I lost him! I don’t know where he’s gone!” The terrified look on his face showed that he was not joking._

_“What do you mean you’ve lost him??” Ellie sprang up from the bench, frantically looking around at the crowd._

_“I don’t know! We were in line one minute, and then the next minute, he was gone. I called his name and looked around a bit, but I couldn’t find him anywhere!”_

_Alec stood up._

_“Best thing to do is split up. We’ll cover more ground that way.”_

_The sheer panic on Ellie’s face tugged at his heart. He put his hand on her shoulder, which he hoped was reassuring, but he could feel his own anxiety rising as well._

_“Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”_

_They had briefly strategized, then took off in opposite directions. Alec ran around the north side of the fair, calling Fred’s name, asking bystanders if they’d seen him. Ellie had texted several times to ask if he’d seen anything. Then she called._

_“Anything?”_

_“Not yet.”_

_“Oh my God, what if we can’t find him? What if someone took him?”_

_“We’ll find him, Ellie. Try and stay calm and keep looking.”_

_“Don’t tell me to stay calm!”_

_Alec felt his heart flutter a bit, and wondered if the anxiety was causing his pacemaker to steady his rhythm. His hand went absently to his chest._

_“Okay, sorry. I’m going to keep look– “_

_That was when he saw Fred._

_“I’ve found him! Over by the giant slide!”_

_He ended the call and sprinted to where Fred was perched, about 6 meters above ground, clinging onto the ladder of the giant slide for dear life, sobbing desperately. The slide attendant, a boy of about 19, was trying unsuccessfully to coax him down, amidst a crowd of worried onlookers._

_“Fred!” Alec shouted up at him, panting hard._

_“Uncle Alec!” sobbed Fred. “I’m scared!”_

_“It’s all right, Fred! I’m coming to get you. Don’t move, okay?”_

_Alec had thrown off his jacket and began scaling the ladder, until he reached the terrified boy._

_“Fred, listen to me. I need you to hold onto me, because I can’t hold onto you and climb the ladder at the same time. Put your arms and legs around me, like I’m giving you a piggyback ride, okay? I’ll help you down.”_

_“I don’t want to let go!”_

_“I know, Fred, but it will be all right. I’ve got you.”_

_At that moment, he had heard Ellie from below, yelling Fred’s name._

_“Your mum’s down there, Freddy. Show her what a big, brave boy you can be, yeah? I’ve got hold of you until you can grab hold of me. Come on, lad, you can do it.”_

_He had straddled the ladder for stability, then let go of the rungs with one hand and wrapped his arm around Fred, instructing him to link his hands around Alec’s neck, and his legs around Alec’s torso. Fred did so tentatively, wailing piteously in Alec’s ear. Alec murmured affirmations with each successful move, and eventually, Fred was clinging to Alec’s back for all he was worth._

_“Hang on, wee lad. Don’t let go.”_

_Alec climbed down slowly, his burden heavy, his airway slowly being cut off by Fred’s tight grip around his neck. He felt his vision start to cloud a bit as he neared the ground, when Ellie ran up and peeled Fred off his back, wrapping the boy in her arms, quieting his sobs._

_Alec bent over, hands resting on his thighs, gasping for breath._

_Ellie was smoothing Fred’s hair, and noticed that all was not well with her boss. Her brow knitted with concern._

_“Alec?”_

_“Got to sit,” he croaked, stumbling blindly away. He hadn’t made it very far when his pacemaker gave him a strong jolt – it felt like a mule kick to the chest. He yelped out in pain, then his vision went completely black and he felt himself falling._

_When he opened his eyes, he was half sitting, half laying in the dirt, and Ellie was cradling his head, brushing his hair from his forehead._

_“Thank God,” she said. “You scared the shit out of me. Are you all right?”_

_“Pacemaker,” he said hoarsely._

_“Come on, let’s get you to A &E.”_

_“No,” he said, attempting to sit up. “Not necessary. Fine now.”_

_“Are you kidding me?” Ellie looked incredulous. “You lost bloody consciousness!”_

_“How long?”_

_“What?”_

_“How long was I out?”_

_“Not long, about 30 seconds or so, but still!”_

_“Ellie, when it goes off, it’s not unusual to black out. ’S what happened. I’m fine. Everything’s regulated now.”_

_She stared at him, frowning. They were both sitting on the ground now, and Tom was holding a sniffling Fred._

_“Why did your pacemaker go off?”_

_“Probably a combination of things – stress, anxiety, extreme exertion – all at once.”_

_She scowled at him dubiously._

_“All right, fine, but you are staying at my house tonight, just in case.”_

_“That’s not neces-“_

_“Shut up, Hardy. I’m not giving you a choice.”_

_He had reluctantly acquiesced, seeing Ellie’s stern expression. Alec had learned that there were certain times when there was no use arguing with Ellie Miller, and one of them was when her face looked like immovable, as though it was made of stone - as it did now._

_Later that evening, he found himself at the dinner table in Ellie’s kitchen, picking silently at his pasta, while Tom stared at his food, and both Ellie and Fred watched him intently._

_“Uncle Alec, why did you get hurt?” Fred had finally piped up, breaking the silence. Ellie mouthed the word “sorry”, and gave him a helpless smile._

_“I didn’t get hurt, Fred,” Alec said, and took a deep breath. “I have a wee machine in my chest that helps if my heart’s not working properly. When the machine starts working, it can hurt, but it’s really making things better. So it may seem scary, but it’s doing what it’s supposed to.”_

_“But why doesn’t your heart work?”_

_“I don’t know, lad. It just doesn’t. But it’s okay, because now I have this machine right here,” he tapped on his chest, “and it makes my heart work the way it ought to.”_

_“You have a machine in your chest,” Fred breathed, unabashedly awestruck, “like Iron Man!”_

_Everyone had laughed, but Fred was undaunted. His Uncle Alec was like Iron Man._

_Later that evening, Ellie had brought blankets and a pillow, and she plopped down next to Alec on the sofa._

_“Thank you,” she said earnestly, and her brown eyes were expressing things that Alec wasn’t sure he understood. He nodded wordlessly._

_“Promise me you’re all right,” she said quietly._

_“I am. Promise.”_

_She looked like she might say something else, but thought better of it._

_“Get some rest,” she said. “I’ll be upstairs if you need anything – blankets and such, I mean.”_

_She stood._

_“Goodnight, Iron Man,” she said, flashing him a bright, teasing smile, then heading upstairs._

_Sometime in the early dawn, Alec had been jostled out of sleep by someone shaking his shoulder vigorously._

_“Uncle Alec!”_

_Alec’s eyes were heavy, but he opened them to find Fred’s face extremely close to his._

_“Hey, wee lad,” he whispered, groggy. He looked at his watch: 4:13 am. “Why are you up so early?”_

_“Can I see your machine?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“Your heart machine.”_

_“Ah. Well, you can’t see it, lad, because it’s inside.”_

_“Oh.” Even in the dark, Alec could tell he looked crestfallen._

_“But I can show you where it is.”_

_Fred’s face brightened again. Alec sat up and unbuttoned his shirt, and used the light on his mobile to illuminate the slightly discolored, raised scar on his chest._

_“So you can’t see it, but this is how you know it’s there,” Alec explained, pointing at the scar._

_“It’s like your invisible superpower.”_

_“Sort of.”_

_“Uncle Alec, can I stay with you here tonight?”_

_“Sure, but only if you promise to go to sleep. It’s way too early, and even superheroes need sleep, eh?”_

_“Ok. Can you kiss me goodnight?”_

_Alec paused for a moment, then planted a kiss on the top of Fred’s head._

_“Uncle Alec? Does Mummy kiss you goodnight like she kisses us?”_

_Alec’s eyebrows raised in the dark._

_“No, Fred, she doesn’t.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“Because we’re friends, lad. I’m not her family like you are.”_

_“I wish you were part of my family. Do you wish you were part of my family?”_

_Alec took a deep breath and considered trying to come up with an acceptable answer, but quickly realized there was no possible answer that wouldn’t yield more questions, or somehow come back to haunt him later._

_“Go to sleep now. It’s too early for such questions.”_

_Alec moved all the way against the back of the sofa, and Fred tucked in in front of him. Alec tossed the blanket over them both, wrapped his arm around Fred, and closed his eyes._

_And that is how Ellie found them both, a few hours later, soundly sleeping._

“Yeah, you’ve created a monster,” Ellie was saying. “A seven-year-old monster that wants you to take him trick or treating. Don’t worry, I’ll come with you.” She gave a short laugh. “Besides, what would you do on Halloween anyway, sit at home and sulk?”

“Miller, what gives you the idea that I sit at home, lonely and miserable, if I have no activity planned? Some people prefer a quiet evening. I'm one of them.”

“Doesn’t matter. Fred adores you - and he requests your presence on his costumed quest for sugar.”

Alec sighed dramatically.

“Fine. But I think dinner should also be included in this bargain.”

“Oh really?” Ellie looked genuinely surprised. Alec wondered for a moment if he had overstepped.

“Too much?” he asked, cautiously.

But Ellie smiled, that bright, beautiful smile that made him feel warm inside, even if he wouldn’t dare admit it.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course dinner is included.”

Her expression was impossible to read, but Alec thought there might be a hint of - satisfaction? Smugness? Coyness?

Ellie turned to leave, flashing him another brilliant smile. She was almost out the door before he realized.

“Oi! What about my toast!”

\------------------------


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which trick or treating and unexpected conversations occur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy my very fluffy Halloween fic. Thanks for the comments, kudos, and support!! Happy Halloween, wherever you may be!

Chapter 2

On the morning of Halloween, Ellie brought tea into Alec’s office. She found him endearingly grouchy, sulking over paperwork, and smiled silently to herself as she placed the mug on his desk.

“Are we in a mood?” she asked innocently, and he glared at her, but without any venom.

“This news ought to cheer you up,” she said brightly. “I solemnly swear there will be an actual salad with dinner tonight.”

His face softened a bit, and a tiny smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“Are you sure your kitchen won’t spontaneously combust if you serve something healthy?”

She ignored him.

“Dinner is at 6. Don’t wear a suit.”

“What?”

“You’ll be out trick or treating. Don’t need you looking like a copper.”

“What’s wrong with that? Might help keep a few lads who’re up to no good on the straight and narrow.”

“Hardy, seriously. Don’t wear a suit.”

He sighed and grunted an unintelligible acquiescence, which seemed to amuse Ellie.

“Fred is quite excited about having you with us tonight.”

Alec looked pleased, and perhaps a bit smug.

“He’s a fine wee lad.”

“You’re very good with him.”

“I _am_ a dad, you know. This isn’t my first time dealing with children.”

“I know that, but it’s still a bit surprising to see how taken he is with you.”

Hardy chuckled a bit.

“Boys are easy to impress at Fred’s age. Talk to me again in eight years and see what he thinks of me then.”

“Oh, are you planning to still be around in eight years?”

The question took him by surprise, and he couldn’t seem to formulate a response. His mouth opened and closed several times, but the question hung in the air, unanswered.

“Never mind,” Ellie was saying, with bemused exasperation. “I didn’t mean to short-circuit your brain.”

Alec attempted to regain composure.

“See you tonight,” was all he could manage. “Got work to do.”

“All right then,” Ellie said, chuckling softly, waving as she exited Alec’s office.

\----------------------------------

Alec showed up at the Miller household in a blue jumper and jeans, with a wool coat and scarf draped over his arm for later. Ellie opened the door upon his knock, looking him up and down as though he were completely foreign to her.

“Do I get to come in?” he said, after what seemed like a rather lengthy period of scrutiny.

“Oh, sorry!” Ellie laughed, motioning him inside. “I’m just not used to seeing you dressed like a regular person.”

“Regular people wear suits, Miller,” he said, as he brushed past her, handing her a bottle of wine.

“What? No chocolates?”

“Figured there would be too much chocolate already.”

“There can never be too much chocolate.”

“I’ll ask you about that again later tonight, after Fred has eaten his tenth Kit Kat.”

As if on cue, an already-costumed Fred noisily rushed down the stairs and barreled into Alec’s legs.

“Uncle Alec!” 

“Sorry, Spiderman. I was hoping to see Fred.”

“No, _I’m_ Fred! I’m wearing a costume!”

“Oh, so you are!”

Ellie leaned against the wall and beamed at them both.

\----------------------

After a dinner that included hearty soup and a salad that only Alec ate, trick or treating officially commenced. Tom had run off with mates, with plans to do whatever 16-year-old boys did on Halloween (which neither Alec nor Ellie really wanted to know). Fred had been practically vibrating with excitement and could barely sit still long enough to eat dinner – which forced Ellie to issue dire threats of losing trick or treating privileges just to get him to shove down half a bowl of soup. 

The salad had never stood a chance.

Alec had never experienced Halloween quite the Broadchurch way. He and Tess had dismissed trick or treating for Daisy as “too American”. And Sandbrook in general had somewhat of a tepid response, citing its proximity to Bonfire Night. But Broadchurch seemed to do it up, somewhat excessively, Alec thought, with the storefronts decorated and the houses all alight. It seemed as though all Broadchurch families with children were out and about, and Alec wryly observed the overstimulated children and their anxious parents, who seemed to grow increasingly exhausted as the evening wore on.

“Come on! Come on!” shouted Fred, grabbing Alec’s hand and leading him up the walkway to still another house. Alec wasn’t sure how many houses they had visited, but Fred had dragged him to every front door. Ellie had been content to lag behind, a permanent look of amusement on her face. Much to Alec’s chagrin, she also felt compelled to take occasional photos of the pair, dubbing them “my two superheroes”. Alec wasn’t thrilled with having his photo taken, but was secretly pleased to hear Ellie refer to him as ‘her superhero’, even in jest.

“Trick or treat!” Fred cried gleefully as another door opened. As candy was deposited in his bag, Fred yelled his thanks.

“Your son is so polite!” said the harried man at the door, who had clearly had it up to his eyeballs with obnoxious children.

“Oh, he’s not – he’s my – “ Alec stammered for a response.

“He’s not in my family, which is why Mummy doesn’t kiss him goodnight!” Fred explained enthusiastically.

Alec reddened.

“Family friend,” he muttered to the wide-eyed man, and pulled Fred from the doorway.

Ellie stood, laughing uncontrollably on the sidewalk.

“Shut up, Miller,” Alec grumbled at her.

“Don’t say shut up, Uncle Alec," Fred said seriously. "It’s mean.”

That made Ellie laugh even harder.

A few houses later, the door was answered by a man in an Iron Man costume.

“Look, Uncle Alec, he’s Iron Man – just like you!!”

The man dropped a chocolate bar in his bag. Fred grabbed Alec’s hand, pulling Alec alongside him to face Iron Man.

“Uncle Alec has a special heart, like Iron Man. He’s a real superhero!”

The man raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Ah, it’s uh, an exaggeration.” Alec shifted uncomfortably. “Come on, Spiderman, there are other kids coming to the door. Time to go.”

Once they were back on the sidewalk, Alec dropped to a knee to address Fred.

“Hey, lad, we can’t just go telling everyone about my heart.”

“But why not?

“Well, it’s kind of like my secret identity. You can’t really be a proper superhero if everyone knows your secret identity, right? Like Spiderman. Or Superman.”

“Or Batman?”

“Exactly.”

Alec had no concept of how long they stayed out. He swore the number of houses they had visited was somewhere in the triple digits, but Ellie assured him it was nowhere close to that. As the evening wore on, Fred started to get tired and cold, but was not prepared to admit to either weakness, even though his teeth were chattering, and he was clearly on the brink of having a meltdown.

“How about this, wee Fred? You hop on my back, and I put my coat on over the top of you. Then we can walk home in our new hunchback costume, eh?”

And this was how they walked back to Ellie’s house, with Fred excitedly chattering about being a hunchback with two heads.

After Fred had surveyed his candy spoils and Ellie had allowed him to eat a few pieces, it was officially his bedtime.

“Uncle Alec, will you read to me?”

Alec looked over at Ellie, who smiled warmly at him.

“Wow, you’re getting all the honors tonight.”

Alec shrugged and smiled slightly.

“Sure. Pick a book, and I’ll be there in a minute.”

After reading “Creepy Carrots” twice, Fred was sufficiently sleepy. Alec was sitting on Fred’s bed, leaning against the wall, and Fred was curled up against him.

“Why can’t you stay here every night?” Fred asked.

“I have my own house, Freddy.”

“But I want you to live in my house!”

“That’s way more complicated for grownups than it is for kids, especially if they’re not in the same family.”

“Why?”

Alec thought hard. 

“Because grownups love each other differently than kids do.”

“Like Mummies and Daddies do?”

“Sometimes.”

“Do you love Mummy like that?”

Alec felt his heart do something strange.

“Um, those are private feelings, lad. You can’t just tell everyone everything you feel. Some of them, you just keep secret.”

“Like a secret identity?”

“Sort of.”

“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Fred asked, his voice smaller now.

“’Course I will, lad.”

Some time later, he awoke to Ellie gently jostling his arm.

“Alec,” she whispered.

“Hmm?” He rubbed at his eyes.

“You fell asleep.”

“Oh,” he said quietly, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings again. “I told Fred I would wait with him until he fell asleep. But then I didn’t want to move and wake him up. I must’ve dozed off.”

Fred was still curled up into Alec’s side, and his head rested on Alec’s chest.

“Don’t worry,” said Ellie reassuringly. “A bomb could go off now, and Fred wouldn’t wake up.” She patted Alec’s arm. “Come on.”

Alec slid out from under Fred, and Fred didn’t stir. After tucking the blanket around him, Ellie motioned them both downstairs.

“I’ll make you some tea,” Ellie said, smiling. “You look knackered.” She motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen, and he leaned up against the counter while she busied herself with the tea kettle.

“Halloween is bloody hard work,” Alec said, yawning.

“You certainly gave it a valiant effort. I’m quite impressed. I do believe you went over and above tonight. It’s fun to watch you with him.”

Alec ran his hand through his hair.

“He’s a good lad.”

“Alec,” Ellie said quietly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I heard your conversation with Fred.”

Alec began to blush furiously, his cheeks flushing pink underneath his beard.

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear. I just went up to check and see how things were going, and I didn’t want to interrupt.” She smiled brightly. “It was all very sweet.”

Alec couldn’t seem to come up with anything to say, and looked straight ahead.

“Alec,” Ellie said softly, “I have a grownup secret too.”

“Oh?” Alec suddenly felt a bit lightheaded.

“Yes,” Ellie smiled demurely. “Would you like to know what it is?”

“I, uh…”

Ellie didn’t wait for Alec to answer. Instead, she took a few steps toward him, then, standing on her toes, gently placed her lips against his. The kiss was soft and brief, but Alec felt as though it was somehow eternal.

“Oh,” he said. “I – “

“I’d like to know what your grownup secret is, Alec Hardy.”

“Uh, I can’t tell you,” he said, leaning down toward her, “It’s private.” This time _he_ kissed _her_ , matching the softness and brevity of the first kiss. And then he kissed her again, longer, and more languidly.

The whistling kettle broke them apart, and Ellie poured them some tea, creating a ritualistic calm that allowed them each to catch their breath.

“Is this part of your ‘secret identity’?” she asked grinning into her mug.

“Well, it doesn’t seem so secret anymore, does it?” he answered, laughing. “Maybe it’s just a part of my identity now.”

They sipped their tea and smiled at each other across the kitchen.


End file.
